TROY HARVEY/THE STAR
A vehicle that was involved in a fatal crash is seen on the front lawn of a home at the corner of Halifax Ct. and Halifax St. Wednesday afternoon.

Ventura County Star

TROY HARVEY/THE STAR
A vehicle involved in a fatal crash is seen Wednesday afternoon on the front lawn of a home on Halifax Court in Ventura.

Ventura County Star

TROY HARVEY/THE STAR
A vehicle involved in a fatal crash is seen Wednesday afternoon on the front lawn of a home on Halifax Court in Ventura.

Ventura County Star

A Ventura teen was booked into Ventura County jail on Wednesday on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter after he hit and killed a 65-year-old bystander while driving away from the scene of a domestic dispute, police said.

The victim, Virdena Owens, was standing on her front lawn in east Ventura shortly before 11 a.m. when a vehicle driven by 18-year-old Erik Lopez hit her, police said.

"It's a complete shock," Mike Owens said Wednesday while standing near his mother's house. "Life is fragile. You're here one day and gone the next."

Ventura police said they responded about 10:55 a.m. to a report of a dispute between a man and woman in front of a home in the 1200 block of Halifax Court.

While officers were on the way, a caller told police the man had left and then quickly returned, said Ventura police Cmdr. Darrin Schindler. The man then apparently drove in reverse onto a front yard across the street, hitting Owens, police and witnesses said.

Property records show Owens and her husband, James, have owned the property since 2010.

Owens was pinned under the car and had to be freed by Ventura firefighters. She later was pronounced dead at the scene, Schindler said. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office.

The 19-year-old Ventura woman who had the dispute with Lopez was not involved in the crash, police said. She suffered minor injuries in the domestic dispute, police said.

In addition to gross vehicular manslaughter, Lopez also is accused of assault with a deadly weapon, spousal battery and child endangerment, according to police. The 19-year-old had a child with her, police said. Bail for Lopez was set at $150,000, according to county records. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

Investigators placed several yellow evidence markers on the lawn as they tried to piece together what happened. Family members were speaking to police and going inside the Owens house Wednesday afternoon.

Mike Owens, 37, said his mother lived at the house with husband James and four adopted children, ages 8-13.

Owens said his mother tutored children, helped at nearby schools and was a member of Ventura Vineyard Christian Fellowship. He described her as "ambitious" — someone who loved children and "always had something going on."

"She was an awesome Christian lady. It's a very sad day. She wasn't done. She had a lot more to go," he said.

Ventura County Superior Court records show Lopez's father's name as Hector Lopez. A Hector Lopez also is listed as the owner of a home in the cul-de-sac where Virdena Owens lived.

When a man answered a phone Wednesday listed as belonging to Hector Lopez, he would not comment.

"We're not interested in talking right now," he told a reporter.

Edward Pedersen, visiting family members in the neighborhood for the Fourth of July, was upstairs in a house near Halifax Court. Pedersen said he heard a loud boom outside but mistook the sound for a garbage truck. He walked out after his aunt alerted him to the commotion outside.

"This is a very quiet neighborhood," Pedersen said. "For her, she must have been at the wrong place at the wrong time. He could have come into our own yard."

Isidore Herrera, 22, and friend Chris Frias, 22, said they were about to go jogging when they saw Lopez start the car and begin driving. The pair said they saw the car crash into a minivan parked in a driveway, and then he appeared to lose control and swerved backward into the fence of the Owens house. They said they saw Lopez try several times to push the car out.

"This is kind of crazy because I've never seen anything like this happen," Herrera said.

Anyone with information on is urged to call 339-4441.

Staff writers Cheri ­Carlson and John Scheibe contributed to this ­report.